“State employees are on the frontlines every day preserving public safety, safeguarding children and assisting families, caring for aging veterans, responding to disasters, and protecting our environment,” Carrigan said. “Gov. Quinn’s effort to undermine their collective bargaining rights is unwarranted and virtually unprecedented in Illinois government.

“Gov. Quinn’s action in terminating the AFSCME contract is inconsistent with the principles of collective bargaining,” Ramirez said. “We cannot understand why our governor, who has stood with organized labor in the past, would be so eager to undermine our brothers and sisters.”

Carrigan said that Quinn’s attempt to portray state employees as overpaid is an affront to all Illinois workers who have sacrificed and strived to make it into the middle class. “The governor’s effort to drive down the wage levels of Illinois workers will hurt the economy of our state in the long run,” he added. “I know that AFSCME members are keenly aware of the state’s fiscal woes. They have already taken unpaid furlough days, deferred wage increases and more to save the state over $400 million,”

“Instead of seeking confrontation, Gov. Quinn should work with state employees,” said Ramirez. “We urge him to reverse course, return to the bargaining table and negotiate in good faith to reach a settlement that is fair to all.”

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